Hundreds of rail passengers bound for Tyneside were caught up in the London blackout.

Hundreds of rail passengers bound for Tyneside were caught up in the London blackout.

Normal transport services resumed in the South East today after the power cut halted rush-hour rail services, paralysing the capital during yesterday's evening rush hour.

But last night about 250,000 commuters, including many at KIng's Cross, were left stranded in scenes reminiscent of last month's North American blackout.

The National Grid failure caused about 270 traffic lights to fail and both mainline and Underground trains to come to a sudden halt, leaving thousands of passengers stuck in trains and tunnels.

Power was finally restored at 7pm and the transport network got moving again but Tube passengers were stuck for up to an hour-and-a-half.

The railways suffered disruption late into the night as congestion of services stranded passengers. But Network Rail said trains were now running smoothly, while only slight delays. GNER trains are also running on time into and from London.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone called for an inquiry and said: "It is totally unacceptable that this has happened, affecting at least 250,000 people as well as the transport system.

"Under-investment in the National Grid must not be allowed to cause this kind of chaos."